Air pollution and coronavirus mortality

Caroline Russell: There is now peer-reviewed research by Francesca Dominici from Harvard University linking long-term exposure to air pollution with increased mortality from Covid-19. Will you commission new research to explore the impact air pollution may have had on coronavirus cases and mortality in London?

The Mayor: Since the start of the pandemic a wide range of research has been happening internationally to understand whether and how factors such as air pollution affect the spread and impact of the Covid-19.
As more of this work passes the peer review threshold, I am sure that there will be important lessons to be learned not just to help us now but to help us prepare for any future outbreaks of similar diseases.
To help researchers build the evidence they need I shared data on London’s pollution changes during the first lockdown with the Government’s Air Quality Expert Group, who were also seeking to understand the interactions of exposure to air pollution and Covid-19
In the meantime, it is vital that we continue with the measures that we know improve air quality, such as expanding the ULEZ, decarbonising London’s transport and creating the infrastructure for a zero-emission city.